A Human among Atrians
by WatcherComplex
Summary: The Death of pacifist Nox rises the already boiling tensions among Mankind and the the Atrians. In a last ditched attempt to prevent a conflict of unknown proportions the Humans offer to allow Roman to enact his revenge on Ray Whitehill. Roman, wishing to maintain his father's ideals, makes a plan of his own, not knowing how much closer that will get him to Emery. Semi AU.
1. The Wake

Diplomacy

The Death of pacifist Nox rises the already boiling tensions among Mankind and the the Atrians. In a last ditched attempt to prevent a conflict of unknown proportions the Humans offer to allow Roman to enact his revenge on Ray Whitehill. Roman, wishing to keep his father's ideals, makes a plan of his own, not knowing how much closer that will get him to Emery. Semi-AU.

* * *

Chapter One: Wake.

Maia, Roman and Sophie watched the wake in silence. It was not a happy day for they were parting with a loved one, but the attitude their kind was expressing as they paid their respects to Nox only made this horrible event ten times worse on the family. Nox had been a pacifist, he had true hopes that, given time, Humans and Atrians could learn to share the Earth. His death not only pushed that ideal back, but strengthened the opposing opinion that their people freedom would have to be taken by force, and not given by trust. It disgusted them.

As the last people of their kind offered parting gifts and words, an envoy of human soldiers approached the garden, the reactions to that movement were diversified, with some Atrians running away, others making a line between the incoming armed officers and the Body, and Rowan and Sophie placing themselves before Maia, only to be guarded themselves by other Atrians.

"There shall be no fighting in this wake!" Thundered the voice of Maia. The woman pushing the two teenagers aside and breaking the alien barrier between the soldiers and herself. Her temper and expression were overflowing, making everyone in the garden, the humans included, freeze on the spot… some even took a step back. She faced the officers and spoke courteously, but with a threat in her voice "While I don't mind your presence here, it frightens my guests and causes civil unrest, so if you have anything to do here I recommend you do it quickly."

"We do not seek a confrontation." Said a male voice between the group of soldiers. They parted to show a man dressed in civilian clothes… Atrian civilian clothes, and not exactly the rags people were often seen wearing around the district. "We came here to pay our respects and express our deepest regrets over what has come to pass." The man said walking towards Maia, his eyes conveying a request to approach the Casket, which the woman agreed to.

The man kneeled by the Casket and murmured an elaborate chant in Atrian before turning to the people. He then turned to Maia and bowed to her in a thank you gesture. "I am here to tell you that the SEU has, despite attempts to the contrary, finished an evaluation of the circumstances which led to this disaster. Again, despite attempts to the contrary, it was decided these events would be made public, as we felt any attempt to hide these tragic events would further enrage the Atrian society by leading them to believe we would not care, which we do.

This was met with glares and murmurs, but an even more determined glare from Maia prevented any outbursts. The woman nodded and returned to the side of Roman and Sophie, who were now facing the male human in civilian clothes. "Tell us what happened." Roman demanded.

The man nodded. "It was determined that some people have used counterfeit technology to bypass the barrier and curfew. This was because the police force failed to prevent an attack on Roman, one of the chosen for the School integration project. The idea was to give a response in kind to the humans who attacked Roman. We have also determined that Roman himself broke the curfew to prevent that fight, which he was able to carry out in part."

This was met with a panicked reaction on most of the guests, with people placing themselves between the guards and Roman. The man shook his hands in a dismissive way "While both of these accounts constitute a break on curfew, it was determined that Roman's actions were justifiable since he acted so to prevent a confrontation, the SEU has decided to overlook this transgression, be aware thought this was a one time deal and further transgressions will be severely punished. We will increase the protection of the Atrians in the school to prevent any further incidents. The point is Nox discovered what happened and confronted the person responsible for providing the escapees with illegal technology, upon which he led SEU to the criminal."

There was a breath on the part of the human man, a clear sign of frustration over the situation. "SEU discovered the dark technology and moved in to apprehend it and the criminal. The black market dealer reciprocated with a weapon, which caused Nox to react to prevent a gunfight in the district market, this caused the SEU officer aiming at him to react and shoot him… fatally."

This confession was met with silence. The Diplomat would be more comfortable if people were crying in outburst. He could feel their anger, their wish to revolt and cause as much damage as they could to the envoy of humans that was interfering with the wake. He knew that, had he come alone and unarmed, he would likely have been used as an example of reciprocation.

"We admit to the terrible consequences our actions had that night. Consequences that could have been avoided had Humans and Atrians been on more peaceful terms. While it is too soon for the day when the barriers between this place and the rest of our planet are to be taken down, these events have reaffirmed that, for the good future of both Humans and Atrians, we must do whatever is in our power to avoid another decade of segregation and prejudice."

He turned to Roman. "Mr. Roman, It is my understanding that your government system places you as the spokesperson for your father's wishes, and the judge for the consequences about he or she who killed him. I come to you with the assurance that my people have agreed to let your desires prevail over your constitution. I will take any decisions you make and have them sanctioned and enacted to your very specifications."

Roman placed his hand on the balcony, suddenly feeling a lost of air. He was certainly not the only one surprised by this turn of events. Confusion, Panic and Anger emerged among the Atrians in the wake. Roman had no doubts that, were not for the presence of Guards and Maia's intention on keeping the Wake free of conflict, there would have been people calling for that man's death. It really put him in a tight spot.

"I need time to think about that." Roman answered in a cold voice. The diplomat nodded.

"In that case, we will no further trouble you with our presence. But If I can part you with some advice, the mistakes of a man does not prove an action that would only further the hate between our peoples, I am sure your father would not like to see a girl in the same situation as your own family and the hatred that will be born out of that justified death.

"I shall take that in consideration." Roman agreed. "Please leave."

The spokesperson nodded and rejoined the soldiers, he repeated his prayers in Atrian and left the gardens and the complex. Soon enough the last sunlight came over the district and people retreated to their homes, with what transpired the roads were not safe at night.

* * *

Roman found himself in his bedroom doing his homework. He was still impressed that Drake's actions and the Death of his father had not pushed the school to bar the Atrians from going there if someone decided to set fire to the inflammable tempers around his kind. On top of that he had to decide how he should punish the killer of his father, a move that in his planet would have been an easy thing to do, but here on Earth it could translate into huge problems.

There was a knock and Maia appeared with a tray of Dinner. "Castor would like a word with you."

Roman agreed with his head, not surprised to see his uncle determined to give him pointers on this situation. Unlike Nox Castor was not an ally of the Human Atrian integration, at the same time Roman could take solace that the man would not join the usurpers. Castor was an opportunist and he would certainly try to use Roman to help himself pick the side he would join.

* * *

Castor came beating around the bush, they talked about Nox youth in Atria and good memories they had from Roman's past. Like a farmer, the advisor was preparing the soil by giving Roman a mindset to the challenge in question while probing for any responses by the boy. Finally, after what felt like days for Roman, and was in fact less than two hours, he went to the point.

"I can tell now that you are not going to have that man executed."

"How can you be so sure about that?" Roman argued. "I do have that option."

"And on Atria no one would have minded your decision… It would have been a fitting punishment for someone who had allowed his actions to bring the death of the leader of a family. But we are not in Atria. If you kill that man, regardless of your right to do so, you will be seen as nothing but a murderer in the eyes of the humans. That would be, pardon the words, the last nail on the coffin of your dads Idealistic integration… and the fuse to a war."

"And you do not want that." Roman pointed out.

"Even tough information on the outside world is a commodity around here I have no problems knowing one or two things about these humans. Their determination is admirable, so is their cruelty. I am not saying those foolish rebels cannot pull a conquest of the planet… we do have technology and some unique abilities in our favor. That said, the moment they found themselves pressured the Humans would retaliate with Nuclear Bombs… that would be terrible for the planet and a too big of a price on our people and future generations."

Roman couldn't argue that point. The Humans were quick to show them the power of the Nuclear bomb by displaying movies of it's past uses against the Japanese. With them corralled in a district it would be simple to have most of them annihilated by the bomb. It would be their way of making the Atrians pay for daring to oppose the dominant species. And in the end it would most likely just kill the wrong people… Including many humans.

"A More diplomatic move them. Something that would make it clear there are consequences for this kind of attitude on our people, without making it look like we are a bunch of uncivilized aliens hell bent on having humans killed."

"A statement that would be fitting, had the roles between us and the original inhabitants of this planet been reversed." Castor jabbed. And Roman couldn't help but chuckle in half agreement.

"Not all of them Castor, And I cannot say all of us are civilized either. So, anything you would want to do with the murder of your old friend?" Roman asked.

The man made a thoughtful stance. "In the end it is about tipping the scales back where they belong, I think." Castor said more to himself than to Roman. "It boils down to the fact that you and Sophie were robbed of your father. Human or Atrian that is something that is destined to happen, but the way it happened is inadmissible in either species."

"Then again…" Castor continued "This is also about keeping the ideals of your father afloat… and proving to the humans and to our own kind that we can be very civilized when we are not treated like rabid dogs."

"Really, cause I thought this was all about pleasing our people without making enemy of their people. Any other day I would have rather done nothing than take some feeble pleasure at having revenge. But I know our people will not be satisfied with me doing nothing. I would be basically telling the humans that they won't go punished for killing us without care."

"Then perhaps we should seek the answers in the ancient teachings." Castor grinned presenting a book to Roman. The boy looked at the manuscript with a mixture of awe and dread. In the age of space travel it was rather obvious that his people were not the kind that would go around carrying paper manuscripts in lieu of using their very advanced and robust computers to store thousands of pages of library. That this book was taken out of Atrian when the planet was in the edge of it's destruction implied that Castor had a great respect for it, and most likely that it's contents were somehow banned or removed from the general library. "Consider it a gift towards your new status. May it enlighten your path and make you as wise as the late Nox."

Roman nodded, opening the book and starting to read it in silence. Castor took it as his cue to leave the room and let Roman do some thinking on his own. The elder Atrian knew the book backwards and upside down, it was one of the most ancient Atrian Journals, dating to the golden ages and the birth of their constitution. It could give Roman a lot of insight, but how he would use it was something not even Castor could predict, even if he had a few scenarios.

Maia waited for him in the kitchen, two cups of tea in hand. "How did it go?"

"The man will not be killed, but there is no telling what Roman will do to punish him. In the end Death could have been a less painful choice."

The woman raised her shoulders. "It is not our fault that things are never that simple in Earth. I like to think Roman will not betray the memory of his father. Whatever he chooses I will stand by it, praying that it will, at the worst case scenario, keep the things as they are."

Castor nodded in agreement. "Very well, so will I, although we may come to regret those words."


	2. The Decision

Chapter Two: Decision

* * *

While Principal Weston had declared that the armed forces were in the school for the safety of both the human students and the Atrian teenagers, everybody knew they had a priority in keeping the humans safe, and would not hesitate to target the Aliens to stop conflict. Roman had been a prime example of that fact when he tried to protect Sophia.

The incident at the district and it's repercussions had turned the tables. It wasn't long before word slipped out that Roman was given the right to be the judge, jury and perhaps even executor of the officer responsible for his father's death, regardless of it having been an accident.

The idea that the Government of the United States would be willing to make this kind of concession was, in the mind of many civil rights advocates, preposterous. The protests against such a measure were intense, many humans against what they believed was a disrespect to their legislation, but the impact was felt more in the school, on many levels.

The guards were very careful around Roman and Sophia, the way they escorted the teens made it clear they would do anything in their power to prevent the teenagers from being touched in any inappropriate way. The teachers themselves were walking on eggshells around the two, and the Students were even quicker in realizing this was not the day to piss of the Atrians.

Roman had control over the life of the SEU Officer who killed his father. He would give his answer before the curfew of that day, something he let Ambassador Baralai know first thing in the morning. The Ambassador was keen to remind everyone that, while he expected Roman to take a merciful decision in the name of the peaceful ideals of his late father, any inconsequent actions could in turn lead him to direct his, and the Atrians, anger on the one human he could punish.

Ironically, Nox was producing way more change given his tragic death than he did in a decade of peaceful negotiations. Up to this day the Atrians were treated like an inferior species whose presence was under the consent of the Humans. The actions and it's reactions had forced the humans to consider them as equals in terms of power. Roman knew this was giving a lot of pleasure to the likes of Teri and her family, enough to stay any acts of rebellion.

Teri… she was one enjoying the situation a little too much for his taste. Roman had told her, in no friendly terms, that he would not stand any comment of her part on his decision. It didn't prevent her from using every available time on her schedule to talk openly about the most severe punishments carried out in Atria during the war times. Some of which were so disgusting that she found herself being yelled at by Roman, Drake and Sophia, both in english and Atrian.

* * *

"Teri! I would really appreciate if you stopped sharing our darkest moments with them. Half of these punishments have been banned by our own laws and Roman would not be stupid enough to bring them up. The only thing you are doing, other than making all of us lose our appetite, is portray us as uncivilized beings that should, by all rights, be exterminated." Drake shouted in plain english after she used her lunch as a mock up of some of their nastier punishments.

"Isn't it their constitution that allows freedom of speech?" Teri retaliated.

"And you only use the convenient rules to your advantage." Sophia rebutted equally annoyed "I am sure their constitution has at least one law that would classify your actions as illegal. And if they are too scared of us to make use of it because Roman could go after that SEU officer then rest assured that I will personally find a reason to have you suspended from the school and back to the district!"

Roman, who was entering the cafeteria, quickly decided he would go the day without lunch. He turned to one of the officers and asked politely: "Can I stay outside for a moment? I need some air."

* * *

The officers were more than glad to escort him outside the school and away from the cafeteria scene. Then again, with the protests in the gardens it was decided that the rooftops would be better suited for Roman. The Atrian did not mind, being fond of high places. As they walked towards the stairs one of the humans in the hall approached him.

"Roman!" She said running towards him. It surprised the boy to hear a friendly voice when no one had willed to approach him so far. He turned and saw Julia, and two guards going after her.

"It's all right!" He said before they could do anything to her. "Hello Julia. Is it your first day?"

"Nope, I was just registering myself!" She smiled. "Anyway, I wanted to thank you for what you did, even though I don't know exactly what that was… Emery told me you helped…"

Roman quickly shook his eyes and Julia caught on it. No one was supposed to know about that, it could land him in a world of troubles with both his people and the humans. At the same time he knew it was bound to come up eventually, specially since the side effects wouldn't be long to show up. Roman had no idea how he would tackle that, but now he had more pressing matters.

He turned to the guards. "I would like a moment alone with the girl." He said in a tone that did not allow for objections. "And I would really appreciate if you did not eavesdrop on our discussion." He added, this time leaving an implication that he would know if they did. The guards were obviously hesitant to comply with that request to the point they double checked it with the Ambassador and the Director of the School, both were quick to agree.

* * *

They walked out in the rooftops, the door closing behind them. Roman turned to her. "No one can know about the serum." He told her "Not yet… what I did is not illegal, but it does cause a lot of concern between my people and yours. It might have saved your life but there will be consequences, and I would rather not hasten those."

She nodded. "I understand, it's bad enough they are trying to figure out how I healed miraculously. Emery told me that it would be best if I did not agree to further testing. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. The Doctor Patient Privilege allows me to prevent my tests from going public, which means there is no way for them to find about your panacea."

"Speaking of Emery, where is she?" Roman asked curious. He had meant to discuss this hell of a situation with her and get her opinion on the punishment he had planned. There would be no blood shed, but in a way it could be considered a very cruel response since he was technically going to involve other people.

Julia hesitated, now that was an story she was not willing to tell Roman. As a friend of Emery she had been privy to information that was not made public to the news media. Such as the fact that it was her father the one responsible for Roman father's death, and that it was Mr. Whitehill who had came up with the decision to allow Roman to avenge his father by the Atrian law, something everyone else was extremely against.

While Emery hoped Roman would be fair and not allow another death to come out of this disaster, there was a solid possibility that she would be proven wrong in her judgement of the boy. Emery had decided that she would not go anywhere close to Roman until he made his decision, the official excuse thought was that she would be spending the possible last day of her father with her family, just in case.

"Emery had some family problems." Julia finally answered, picking her words carefully. She was not sure if Roman knew about the association between Emery and his father's murderer. Judging the expression of the alien it seemed to be a negative. "Perhaps I can fill in for her?"

Roman sighted, lying on the stone pavement. The outer bells rang signaling the end of Lunch but he was really not in the mood to return to class, and he knew Julia had no obligation to do that. "This stay between me and you." He began.

"Of course. What is it? Did you made your decision on the trial?"

He nodded. "You must understand, normally I would just try to forget about this and let bygones be bygones. Even in our planet it was rare for our people to use the kind of trial and punishment that the Humans are willing to enact. Our council wouldn't have allowed it, specially since this death was a complete accident and not pursued by greed or anything the like."

"Yes, but you cannot do that." She replied. "For better or worse, your people have been treated badly by my people for over a decade. Your father was one of the more important people in trying to change this situation and because of a mistake he was killed, and now the Humans are giving you a lot of power by allowing you to pass over their laws and punish one of the officers that kept you jailed like animals for over a decade."

"You are not exactly helping your people's case." Roman replied in a joking tone. "But that is somewhat correct. The Atrians will not be exactly satisfied if I just let the matter drop, it's the first time someone is allowed to punch back and go relatively unpunished. That said, this is not Atria, this is planet Earth and you humans can learn to hold a grudge. If I kill that man one day or another it will come back on me and my family… I would be throwing a wrench in everything my father accomplished and possibly boosting both the human and Atrian Radical movements."

"So you can't Kill, but you can't not Kill." Julia answered. "It looks like a Catch 22"

"It's not as simple as that, unfortunately." Roman replied. "The human who came up with enacting that law apparently didn't bother to read the fine print. It would take several hours to explain, more time than I believe we have even if the guards are willing to leave us alone, but the kind of law I am allowed to use is like a complex version of the Hammurabi Code you humans used as your first law. It's translation literally allow me to repair a wrong to my clan by demanding a requital. Most people would think this means a death for a death, but the law itself is quite ambiguous, and so are it's applications."

"And how exactly do you plan to do it?" Julia asked curious.

He crossed his fingers and took a deep breath: "In my view, my family had been done the two following damages: We were robbed of one of our members by the negligence of a Human. It also delayed the progress of Human Atrian integration, condemning us to more time in the walled life. Therefore, the repair to be done would be to rob them of a member of their own family, and do something to boost the integration."

"But you will not kill." Julia reminded, having a bad feeling about the way he worded it.

"No, I would not. But It doesn't mean I can't rob them of a member of the family. My people have lived like jailed animals for ten years, and that is not counting the time we were wandering the space in less than suitable conditions. I can, and intend to, force at least one of your people into the same situation. By doing this I will force others to think about the fairness of this situation. Am I wrong to do that?" He asked honestly.

"Many people would say you are…" She said. "Then again this seems better than death. But if you do that, won't the person you bring into the citadel be under extreme risk? You said it that there are people in your district who are not very fond of the humans, and you will be responsible for the safety of the human you force into your district."

"Ironically, the same laws that allow me to do this will prevent anyone else from using the person as scape goat for the Atrian hatred over humans. She will be the responsibility of My Clan, making it my obligation to protect her and punish anyone that would wish or do her harm. If anyone dares to interfere with my charge then I will end up punishing them, given my creativity I do not think they would try."

"Her?" Julia asked… "Wait, you are not going to force the SEU officer into the Camp?"

"That would not be very wise or safe." Roman replied. "Ambassador Baralai let escape that the man had a daughter. I will ask the Human government that the family be punished by having her come and stay with my family until the day where there are no more walled districts separating our people. She will be given the same prerogatives to leave as the Seven… school only and back to the district for curfew. What happens to her in the future is up to the Human Atrian integration."

While Roman had been very cold while telling Julia about his decision, she could see that it had been taken with a lot of thought. Were it not for the fact that it directly involved one of her friends she would have to admit there were good points in this decision. Emery would not be under nearly as much risk as her father, nor she would be a potential threat to the Atrians. And her situation would force her father to act to prevent others from doing what he did to Nox as long as she was around, the SEU would protect her, and hopefully that would lessen the military attitude they had inside the district..

More than that, any hopes of the family seeing each other would be dependent on the furthering of the Human Atrian relationships. At the very least they would eventually have to get into talks about letting the humans come inside the district, this would lead more people to realize the situation they had imposed on the Atrians, a situation that ultimately caused the death of Nox, for if there was not an internship camp of Atrians there would have been no need for people to try to escape, and there wouldn't have been a shoot out over a black market dealing of escape devices.

Julia wondered if Atrians were so mentally developed that Roman would come to this conclusion over a night, of if the boy had somehow got a hold of the Art of War or Confucian Books in the School library. All things considered this action could certainly make up for the Damage caused to Roman's clan… At the cost of Emery.

"Is it wrong of me to ask that?" Roman asked her.

"No, it's not wrong. It's unpleasant but certainly not wrong, I think. You do understand that you will get a lot of heat over this decision, both from your people and ours?" She asked.

"Oh, I really expect a mouthful for that, at least from my mother. I am sure the girl will be none too pleased but I plan to work that out. Actually it's for this very reason I didn't even bothered to check her age or who she was, It makes it harder to take this kind of demand when I have to take your human emotions in consideration. I was willing to let Emery have her say on it because I owe her that much, but I can't wait for her since I have to give my reply tonight. So I am glad you are okay with it."

Julia felt her stomach knot. She could not be more glad that Emery had not come to school and heard what Roman had planned, something that would directly affect her future. A part of her wanted to warn the boy exactly who he was going to screw over this choice, but something told her it would only bring more problems to this very bad situation.

Emery would mind? Most certainly. While she was not pro or against the Atrians she would not take kindly to having her liberty taken by what was clearly bigotry between two species that were more alike than either of them would care to admit. Julia had no doubt that her friend would be placed in a very bad situation because of Roman's decision, but she also had the odd feeling that this punishment was, even if a bit harsh, the best thing that could happen to Roman and Emery.

"You should get back to class…" Julia sighted. "Roman, do you mind if I Hug you? I really want to thank you for that cure."

The boy nodded. "You don't need to ask for that. I am all for the Human Atrian integration, and it's not like there is anyone here to complain over the two of us hugging."

Julia nodded and hugged him tightly. It allowed her to hear the two sets of heartbeats in his body. They walked back to the stairs and knocked for the awaiting guards.

* * *

"I am sorry for ditching my classes." Roman told the officers. "I needed some time to think and a friendly ear."

Principal Weston, who had waited for them with the guards, gave a nod. "Normally it would be grounds for detention, but In light of your recent lost and the hard decision you have to make soon I am willing to just leave it up to a verbal and written remark. "Will you seat the rest of the classes or would you like transport back to your home?"

"I will seat the rest of the classes. I am not sure if I will be able to stay in the program after I give back my decision. Also tell Ambassador Baralai I have made my decision." He said holding an envelope to the Headmaster. "Make sure this document gets to his hands only."

The humans were all surprised by this move. They didn't expect Roman to have the sentence written. Judging by the penmanship and the fact no one had seen him filling an envelope it was clear this was something he had on him ever since he left the district, which meant he had already made his decision before he told Baralai he would take the day on it.

"I will personally deliver it ASAP." The headmaster agreed taking the envelope. "Miss Julia, would you want to watch the classes as well or will you start tomorrow as planned?"

"I am going to Emery's." Julia replied, earning surprised glances from the headmaster and Roman. "I think she deserves to know before it is made public." She added to Roman.

"If you want to… but try to keep it quiet until the Ambassador has his say. He could still try to prevent it."

The humans surrounding them exchanged glances, most of them aware that Emery's family was directly involved into whatever fate that letter had set up on what they presumed to be Mr. Ray Whitehill. Judging by the way Julia was acting and Roman's comment it was clear they could not expect a full pardon.

The Headmaster nodded "I will escort you to her house before going to the Ambassador's office."

* * *

Roman left for his classes while Julia and the headmaster left the School. Saul Weston made no attempt at trying to occult his possession of the letter to the ambassador, which he still held in his hands as they crossed the front of the school towards his parking lot. While no one would be able to tell it was the sentence just by looking at it he was sure the snapshots of it would soon allow the media groups to know exactly what it was about.

"Director Weston, a word about the situation inside the school involving the Atrian Trial?" One of the more bold journalist asked blocking their path.

"That situation is not a concern of the School." He replied coldly "Although it did allow things to run more smoothly in school than in all my years as school administrator. I shall not comment on the psychologic state of the two teenagers who were directly affected by this tragedy or their intentions on what happened at the District. I am legally bound not to say anything on the matter as I am responsible for these children safety, now If you excuse me I have to escort this girl to her friend's home."

Slowly, the headmaster backed the car and broke past the protesters in the road with some help of the police. No sooner had they reached the edge of the school four police bikes joined them, most likely warned by the officers inside the School district that the Headmaster, or rather what he had with him would be requiring extended protection until it reached the awaiting hands of Ambassador Baralai. Headmaster Saul tuned into the news, but kept the volume low.

"Julia, has Roman told you what he has put in this letter?" He asked, the way he worded it clearly meant he was asking as a concerned person and not a bureaucrat.

Julia nodded. "He asked about my views on it… I was unable to answer him." She answered.

"But it's not the execution…" The man stressed, just as the news came in that the Paparazzo at the school had discovered the letter to be in Atrian. On that cue, the number of police officers escorting them doubled.

"No, but it's not Pardon either. Roman figured a way of get even without shedding blood."

"What exactly did he do?" He asked worried.

"I'd rather let the Whitehills be the ones to know about it first." Was her only response, and the headmaster understood she was not going to talk about it any further. Instead he just drove as fast as legally possible towards the Whitehill house. Wondering if this calm school day was just the presage to very stormy days ahead.


	3. The Politics

Chapter Three: Politics

AN: Thanks for the Reviews and Follows/Favs. I am glad to know there are other people in FFN who are interested in the Star-Crossed series. I hope the presence of the category will make more people write fictions on it, I really want to know what people think of the show's story.

AN2: This chapter has been done twice. No thanks to my computer which didn't save it before. It should be the last one before Emery goes to live in the sector, which should make things more interesting. I am happy I got it done before the second episode was broadcasted: Hope you all enjoy the show tonight.

* * *

Ambassador Michael Baralai reclined in his chair as he read the letter from Roman out loud. A letter that had almost been intercepted twice by people opposing the trial. First at the house of the Whitehill, which forced Saul Weston to drop Julia and make a run for it while guarded by police officers, then again at the lobby of the Embassy.

If he had any suspicions that Roman had not already left his district with answer in hand, they had been eliminated by the contents of the apparently thin envelope that had reached his hands. The envelope, which could have contained no more than a single standard page of paper, had been filled with six pages of a very thin weight paper that was almost transparent, all written in a very fascinating ink made from what the Ambassador assumed were plants, given the floral aroma of what was certainly not a Earth plant.

Obviously, Roman had taken a few measures to insure that his letter would arrive in the hands of the Director without suffering adulteration. For instance, the letter was divided so that three of the pages would contain his sentence in plain english, while the other three would have the same content in Atrian wording, the letters had been carefully etched so there could be no misunderstanding on either of the versions. And Roman had signed it on his own blood.

While in public he had stated firmly he expected a pardon from Roman. He had known from the beginning that the situation in the Sector was such that Roman letting the matter drop could be more damaging than actually finding a lesser punishment for Ray. That said, he never could have guessed this turn of events, much less how they've seemed inspired by such rationality.

He lowered the letter and glanced at the four large screens projected before him. This was a sensitive subject, and a historic moment, which warranted the collaboration of all spheres of power. On one screen he had the President and the Minister of Security, on the second one leaders of both parties in the congress and senate as well as key members of the parties. On the third screen was the Dean and the president of the Supreme Court. Last, but by no means least, the Atrian Spokesperson elected by their chain of command in replacement to Nox, with some aides.

Judging by their expressions all of them were as surprised and confused as Baralai himself. It did brought some comfort that this included the Atrian government, who had immediately requested that the transcription of Roman's letter be sent to their own leaders immediately. Now they were all playing an interesting game of wait as they processed the contents of the letter and structured their arguments. A rare situation where no one wanted the word

* * *

Finally, the President decided that this silence was not only annoying, but it would be bad for the country if it's leaders were discovered having control over a situation. His eyes bore directly into the camera as he addressed Baralai with a tone that showed excess of caution.

"Minister Ambassador, have you considered the moral implications of this demand?"

Baralai nodded: "Yes sir. While I will admit that it does not make me any happy to agree to this sort of demands as a diplomat I believe that, barring objections from the Atrians or the Chain of Command, this request is well structured and logic. That said, I do not feel many humans will be happy about it, and I don't even dare to guess the view of the Atrians on this matter." He added with a polite nod towards the Atrian Spokesperson.

The president turned his head over to the Atrian. "I am equally curious on that subject. Mr. Logan would you be able to state what are your people's feelings on this kind of action?"

The Atrian hesitated a bit, he didn't really expect to be addressed by the leader of the free world which was ironically their Jailer as well, he expected courtesy from the man even less: "Mr. American President, I really can't tell you how my people will feel about this but, from a very personal point of view, I have to admit such a course of action is problematic. That said, it is not something that we can outlaw, and such interference on a clan trial would not be welcome."

"And what can WE do about it?" The commander-in-chief asked turning to the other members of the conference. "Because, at the very least, we have to keep the appearances that our government is against this idea, and has exhausted all possibilities before agreeing to it."

The Dean of the Court took a deep breath. "On our legal grounds this action would be considered Kidnap or attempt to make someone a hostage." The man explained. "But the fact is that decision is not taken in our legal grounds. It is the product of a compromise between our governments and the result is that the U.S. government has waived all power over the matter to the Atrians.

"Something which, in the interest of reaching a peaceful resolution and avoiding a possible confrontation, the Senate has almost unanimously warranted and the President himself has signed into executive order." The leader of the opposition reminded them not faking his displeasure. "Which in turn makes our government a bunch of fools bested by a teenager alien."

"Ahem… Your Excellency should probably remind yourself we are currently in the presence of one of said Aliens, and it would not be wise to speak ill of their kind during a diplomatic session."Baralai reminded the man. The other leaders seemed to agree with the Ambassador.

"While our comrade had a very poor choice of words." The Secretary of defense stated. "The fact is our hands are all tied in this incident. You will forgive my wording Mr. Spokesperson, but we all have allowed a rather primitive law to go into action not foreseeing that the person we would be investing in power would be able to turn it out of our control."

"And rescinding the law now that it has reached effective status would be a very dumb move." Baralai reminded. "It would destroy any trust the Atrians might have on our government paying heed to their words. Thus creating a scenario where the Atrian's movements for armed independency and the consequential war can foster."

"By which the wisest thing to do is to accept our own humiliation and sanction this action." The Judge agreed. "Worst case scenario we get to keep the things as they are with the Atrian's and get a few humans angry, but we all know how some of these feelings are instantaneous, and will fade over time."

The President was not a happy man to listen to this kind of answer. He turned to the Logan. "I will not condemn one of my civilians to a life where she is in constant danger. Will Emery Whitehill be safe in the sector?"

"As safe as any other Atrian." The Logan replied. "With all due respect Mr. President, you will see that most of the incidents in our Sector have been spawned by the same two forces: Abuse of power from the SEU and Attempts of Radical Atrian People to force our liberation from the Sector by not pacific means."

"Incidents which would be avoided had there been no need for such segregation." Baralai jabbed "Including the circumstances that led to the death of Nox and our current situation."

"I understand both of your positions gentleman." The president said with a tired expression. "The fact is, however, that at the moment the kind of measures you both imply would prevent this situation would In turn clash the Human and Atrian cultures. And as shameful as it is to admit the Humans are not ready yet to tolerate the life with unrestricted Atrians. There would be too much civil unrest and the possibility of conflicts that would be very hard for our groups to control."

"Which is why we all need the Integration to be successful" The Leader of the Opposition reminded all present. "And perhaps having a human integrate in the Atrian life style will help this."

Now that was something none of them had considered… as was made clear by the change of expression on the people. "I never expected this day would come, but I actually think our Senator has had quite the idea." The President spoke with a fire that he had not expressed during the whole meeting. "We turn this adversity into an opportunity."

"It would certainly make me feel like less of a fool for being misguided like this." Baralai agreed. "So, are we in agreement that we will try to make the best of this situation?"

There was a quick exchange of glances, and unanimous nods of consent. "We are ready to pull out any maneuvers that would allow this plan to be successful. Although we will be careful in all our steps to avoid doing anything that could potentially annoy one of the parties." The Leader of the Chamber stated.

"Good, then I will make sure that is the message we give the people of both species." The president stated. "Anything else that we should discuss before the announcement?"

"Actually, there is something." Baralai spoke holding a folder. "I have read on my file that Ms. Emery Whitehill is a member of a program to aid patients in the hospital. Given the curfew and the other Sectorial restrictions, that program would have to be suspended unless, of course, we are willing to give some more liberty to the Seven."

"And what exactly do you propose?" The Speaker asked.

"I propose we allow a modification of the Curfew for the seven. I.e. they should be allowed to attend school programs that would require extended time in the human sector, including volunteer programs and field trips. I believe such a measure would not only curb the issue at hand, but it would also give the Atrian Seven more opportunity to bond with humans."

"I agree with this plan." Logan amended. "Reducing their limits would help diminish the differences that allow for our species segregation. While I do not expect all of them to agree to this Volunteering I am sure Sophie at the very least wouldn't mind.

"It would be a wise idea." Added the Judge. "The hospital and the School are already under heavy police security, so it would not divert the troops to allow them to wander these premisses. Many sick people long for some company and this program has a lot of benefits, to the point I don't think the Hospital Staff, and some of their patients, will mind to get Alien visits."

"I did some probing on the matter and I agree with your Honor, After all Emery was once in the same situation and it seems that many of the hospital patients would fell her absence. In my view having to deal with Aliens would be a favorable alternative to reassigning students with no previous contact with the patients to these cases." Baralai insisted. " It would give the humans the idea we are trying to make up for her situation and the Atrians that her presence can influence positive change."

"We will take that in consideration." The Speaker spoke. "I will try to rush a bill on it over Senate."

"You will find no opposition from my side." The President of the Congress agreed.

"Or from my party" The President reassured his enemy. "We will carefully time it so the bill pass sometime between the announcement and the time Ms. Whitehill goes to the sector."

"Which would probably make for one of the fastest pieces of legislations on atria's since their arrival." The Judge said with an amused tone. "If it helps I am sure my staff can come up with a few useful rulings of our own to aid the law."

"Good. I believe this conversation is over." The Human Ambassador finished. "Mr. President, will you allow me a moment to personally inform the Whitehill family of the decision before it goes public?"

"Of course Michael. It will give my people enough time to draft an acceptable speech. And me time to make some calls. Just Secure Fax the letters to my cabinet before leaving. And make sure the Originals are kept safe… they are historical documents."

"They will not leave my eyes until the archives are ready to receive them." Baralai agreed. "Have a good evening Mr. President, gentleman." He finished, signaling his staff to cut the communications

* * *

Using a helicopter prevented the ambassador from being cornered and perhaps even attacked by media on his way out, but even lending on the lawn of the Whitehills did not spare him a confrontation with the more fanatic journalists trying to get the first byte of the news.

"Out of my way!" The Ambassador shouted, using his umbrella as a spear and fencing his way open "I am a member of the Government on official business! Out of my way or I will have you arrested!" His impatience and the clear threat in his voice was enough to push back the cameras, but not the protesters, who tried, for the third time, to stop the person in possession of the letter."

Unlike Mr. Weston. Michael Baralai was a men who knew when the grounds for an amicable negotiation needed to be replaced by an aggressive negotiation. So it was to the surprise of the crowd that, instead of allowing the racist human to knock him down and have a chance at the letter, he instead used the hand that was not holding the umbrella to throw a punch on the assailant and break his nose, making a spray of blood gush in the wet lawn.

Using the surprise to his advantage, the officer of the embassy ducked past the guard barrier over the house and entered it without knocking. Inside the house was Mr. Whitehill, Emery and Julia, but not Ms. Whitehill. The two teenage girls were quiet, but there were signs of a struggle and some crying. The father was in his full office regalia, obviously having been ready for his sentence be it good or bad, but the paling of his face proved he too was shaken.

"I would assume Julia has told you about the sentence." The Ambassador spoke holding out the letter. He gave the english one to Emery and the one in Atrian to Ray. "The President will make a speech on it soon, but he allowed me to tell you that, after a long meeting including a representative of the Atrians, the government has decided it is wiser to consent to these demands, even if it goes against their personal emotions about how the situation should be handled. I am truly sorry for this."

Ray and Emery nodded. Julia hugged her friend.

"It's for the best." Emery said. "Better than a life for a life"

"We hope this situation will benefit the integration in the long run." Baralai admitted. "We do not expect you to act in any particular way or obey any directive while under their Sector, but if you can use your unique position to booster the relationships between humans and the Atria descended people then I believe this will be to the benefit of everyone. It would surely haste a potential release from this condition."

"I've already figured that out." Emery nodded agreeing with the plan. "Julia and I have discussed it. I don't know what will happen, but since it seems I am going to live with the Atrians indefinitely I think it is only fair I try to get along with them instead of isolating myself. I will at least be able to go to school right?"

"Yes. Roman was very specific towards that, any privileges conceded to the seven would also apply to you so long as the human government agreed. There is, however, an exception to that rule." The ambassador explained. "You have to limit contact to your parents to letters. No physical contact or telecommunications until the day every Atrian can go where they want unrestricted by the barriers of the Sector."

Emery suspected there would be a but. The letter stated as much, while Roman felt this was a cruel move, the purpose of the law was to retaliate an action of the humans on the same level, and while Roman was not killing Emery he had to take her from her family in order to please the more aggressive members of his species, who wanted to see some form of punishment. It was a role she would have to play for the sake of both Roman and her Father.

"We are trying to get you to stay on the hospital visit program." The man added. "It would have to involve the Aliens going there as well as part of the program tough, and not all the patients or family would be agreeing to it, but I think it will be a good thing in the long run."

"Thank you Mr. Baralai, I am sure a few of them won't mind."

There was a brief moment of silence as the hour of the announcement came closer

"If you don't mind me asking, where is Ms. Whitehill?" The ambassador asked Ray, who had been oddly silent since learning his daughter would be taken from the house against their will.

"She is sleeping under a sedative." Ray explained. "She had a bad reaction to Julia's news."

"A pity." The diplomat sighted. "Well, I suppose no mother would want to see a child punished for the sins of her father, so in a way it is understandable." There was a beep on his smarphone. "The president is heading to the press room for his announcement."

* * *

Around the same Time: Sector Government Hall

* * *

"And that is that." Logan explained his superiors. While there were many people in the office, his direct superior was a woman by the name Anatha, and the other leaders were more than willing to let her do the talking in their stead.

"Thank you for your services, Logan, this has been certainly an interesting set of information."

"And what is the official Atrian place in it?" Logan asked.

"Well, while we are not exactly pleased to have one of them so close to our families and secrets. This council majority is in the agreement that the unorthodox decision the son of Nox brought upon us is an efficient way of punishing the killer without bringing a strong retaliation from the humans upon us. While I am sure there are humans who would attack us without concern for her life, her presence her will most likely stay the aggressive human actions, least we decide to take any retaliation towards her."

"And what about our own bad apples?"

"Let it be known that we will severely punish any attempt on her. This council has decided that she will be treated like a guest. A very long-term guest but a guest nonetheless. She will have the option to take part in our activities on her own accord, after all she is not a citizen here, just like our own people are not citizens of the United States, and therefore are freed from pledging their flag."

"But wasn't roman's wording that she should be treated to the same prerogative of the Atrians?" Asked another councilor.

"The same human induced prerogatives." Anatha explained. "If she wishes to become a member of our society then it is a choice I want her to make, not for us to impose on her." The female glanced at the hologram of Emery Whitehill with a longing expression. "She would make a fine Atrian…"

"Our species may look alike, but there are differences." The Ambassador stated. "She might not even be physically capable of attending some of the customs of our society. And showing her some of our customs would expose her to some of the secrets we have elected to keep from the humans."

"All in due time Logan. We will deal with these issues as they become a problem, not a second before." Anatha insisted. "That said, I would like Roman to bring her to my presence the moment her feet touch this sector. Matters that must be dealt with as soon as possible, plus I would love to meet such an interesting human."

The Atrian Ambassador nodded. "Yes my lady. I am sorry for speaking out of line."

"Never be sorry for doing your job as an advisor of the council Logan." Anatha said with a smile. "Now, we can expect the human leader to make the announcement anytime now, and I suppose Maia still doesn't know about what her son did. Do make her aware she should expect a guest before the President do so. Oh, and remind Roman that he will be held accountable for the girls actions and safety inside the sector. We are not happy with him at this moment."

"It will be my pleasure madam." Logan said bowing and leaving the hall.

* * *

Anatha relaxed on her throne, a hand rubbing over the marks by her left eye. Plans coming into her mind and disappearing just as quickly, something she knew her fellow Leaders would be doing as well. She knew very well what was happening in the council room, it didn't take a telepathic for that.

The Atrian community was composed of Clans, each Clan fell under a set of abilities that made a cast. And this cast was ruled by a Leader of the Clans that was a member of the council. When a new life was born into one of the clans, it was the duty of the leader to present the family a gift of the cast. But since Emery had no particular cast, then all the leaders could technically opt in or out of giving her a gift.

While no one would be concerned if all of them refused to bestow a gift to a human, the fact was that their own vanity would make them all try to gift her. It would be a personal competition of the cast leaders, a very incomprehensible attitude of theirs to be the best host, and while she took it as a sport to many of them it was a matter of pride, exacerbated by the fact whoever got Ms. Whitehill good graces would also be making an impression on the Humans… and the Atrians, she would undoubtedly bond with.

Anatha knew when someone had potential for something. She had used this ability to set Nox as her diplomat, then again to choose the Seven, even that rebel girl and the one who distrusted humans, and now she had just used it to argue with a bunch of old fashioned leaders that letting the girl in was a blessing in disguise. Her senses never failed her, and she was sure they would not be failing her now.

That girl was important, Anatha didn't know how, but she knew Emery Whitehill would end up surprising them even more than Roman did by bringing her into their lives.


	4. The Arrival

Chapter Four (Updated): Preparations for the Arrival

* * *

I am really sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. Stuff happened (Vacation) that had me writing very slowly, and then more stuff (Connection Issues) happened that had me writing it all over again.

I would like to extend my thanks to Castling (UserID:2771893) who has agreed to beta this chapter. This author's changes, while subtle, certainly made the story more pleasing to read. I hope we can do the same with the future chapters. That said "to err is human", and therefore if any mistakes escape both of our filters readers can discuss them in their Reviews or PM me the problems so I'm able to learn the problems and correct them, hopefully avoiding those in the future.

* * *

There are four Atrian tribes: Zwahan, leaders and healers, Swamad, agriculture, the source of sustenance, Iwabas, the mystics and Vwasak, the warriors and protectors of Atrian people.

Roman knew his tribe, Zwahan was the most interested in the Integration, while Vwasak and Iwabas had much interest in the success of the Trag faction. The Swamad tribe was only interested in a peaceful living, and so they did not engage a lot into his people's politics.

The teenage Atrian stance as a Zwahan and the son of Nox, who was technically the leader of his people, gave him enough authority to demand that the daughter of the man who killed his father was taken to the Sector. He was not expecting the humans, or even his people, to agree with it, but he knew there was little they could do to counter his decision.

While the girl would technically be under his responsibility, Roman wasn't worried about her ability to endure this punishment. He actually had no ill intentions towards the girl. In fact he hoped she would get along with his people, and that the Atrians would learn to, at the very least, be friendly with her.

Nothing against Gloria's plan to have the Atrian Seven make bonds with the younger generations but it was a rather one-sided policy. This was something he and his father had argued several times, which incidentally only helped Nox and Gloria's agree into putting him up as one of the Seven. He believed this decision would lead the humans into learning more about the Atrians, instead of forcing the Aliens to abandon all their values and being the only ones to adapt in order to become "citizens".

That said, if his people choose to direct their thirst of revenge for almost ten years of captive life into someone who, most likely, had never done them any wrong, then the most he could do to hold them off was remind their wise leaders and tribes, the Trags included, that any satisfaction they might get over punishing her would be short lived, and that such provocation on the humans will not only make sure that the Integration program gets shut down, but also cause the humans to impose worse conditions on them as retaliation, if not cause a declaration of war.

* * *

After the fight he had with Maia and Castor over his decision yesterday, Roman knew he had to minimize disturbances. He had spent most of the day writing and personally delivering these letters to influential people all over the sector. It had put him in direct contact with many of his fellow Sector "inmates" and allowed him to gauge the reaction towards his plan and the potential for any risks.

Overall, the eldest and more neutral leaders were neither supportive nor openly against his decision. Most of them reprimanded him for forcing a human into their environment, specially given the need for some of their secrets to stay away from human eyes. Still they also acknowledged that there was potential for positive change in his decision

Even Castor, one of the more reluctant to accept Roman's decision once it became public, was willing to take a wait and see approach. But Roman knew there are people that would take more than arguments to convince, it would take diplomacy and psychological warfare, and he was about to meet the Queen of such a battlefield.

* * *

He was now in the Iwabas underground gardens, in the presence of Teri's mother or, as he had long since came to know her, the Witch. The letter to Vega was one he took a lot of time writing, and even more time gathering the will to deliver. There was no doubt in her mind that the mystic woman had the Trag faction under her rather long nails. Ever since he was a child Roman had associated Vega with a very poisonous Snake, not that he would ever make such a claim out loud, much less in a territory where she had advantage.

The Witch stood before him, a finger tracing over the letters in the thin piece of paper, making them glow with the familiar blue specter. It was special ink, and Roman had reserved it's use for this occasion. He was half expecting the woman to burn the piece of paper before his eyes and then go into chastising him for thinking he could get her to cooperate with mere words. Possibly even go on to list a number of punishments she planned to inflict on the girl the moment a chance for such showed up. Trying to avoid the mental images he glanced at the other people, Teri was also in the garden, but Roman did not know if this was a good or a bad thing.

* * *

Vega finished the letter and folded the piece of paper, taking a seat on a chair Roman had not even noticed before. "Sit down." She said pointing to a second chair that Roman was very sure was not there a moment ago, most likely one of her men had brought the wooden furniture while he was focused on the reading of the letter. Regardless of it being there before or not, Roman was quick to comply with the order, even if a part of him wanted to leave the room and what he considered a waste of breath.

"You know what I think of the humans." Vega started. "You ask me to take pity on one of them, to give a chance to your father's foolish ideals, when you know very well I would rather have every one of these useless carbon piles reduced to ashes as our people is set free."

"I am asking you to be reasonable." Roman insisted. "No matter how much suffering the humans have brought upon us over the past ten years. Not all the Atrians would agree that a massacre is the only answer they deserve. And even if that is your goal, there is no sense in rushing the war up if we are not prepared to deal with the consequences."

"You underestimate our power Roman." Vega grinned. "Despite what you might think we have a wider grasp on the Earth than humans are led to believe. If war does come, and I know it will, then I know our people can prevail."

"Perhaps." Roman conceded. "But the humans are a very violent species, and they are not above turning Earth into another dying planet to make sure we do not get to enjoy the reaps of a victory. We both know they have enough weapons to turn this planet into a pile of infectious ash. If we want to take Earth, then at the very least we need time to ensure there will be an Earth after the war ends. Which is why I believe you will agree with me that harming an innocent girl that is under our situation will not be in the best interests of your revolution."

"A fair point and well argued, I expected nothing less from the son of Nox." The woman said rolling her eyes. "Very well, I will pass this message ahead and get our more impatient people to stay at an arms length of the girl." Vega agreed, clapping her hands. "That said, if the girl does anything to provoke our anger, then rest assured I will consider her actions a breach of our agreement. In that case I would no longer be able to guarantee her safety."

"That is all I could ask from you." Roman said with an overly respectful gesture of appreciation.

"Enough for you to turn a blind eye to the actions of the Trags on the Sector Enforcement Unit?" Vega asked with a smirk.

"Do what you think you must, but be careful not to bite off more than you can chew." Roman stated standing up. "And If you do have people outside the sector I don't want them going after the family of the girl. What I've done is punishment enough." He reminded the woman.

"I am fine with that, it is far more pleasing to see them punished your way. Who knows?Maybe you can convince me there are some humans worth keeping alive, maybe as pets..." She replied with a great deal of satisfaction.

Roman spared one last glance to Vega before he left the underground garden at a hasty step, the only thing that kept him from running away was the knowledge that doing so would bring Vega more satisfaction.

* * *

"The Girl?" Castor asked from across the street the moment Roman left Vega's compound. "Do you even know who you are sentencing to a life in this place?" The uncle pointed out going after Roman, who set towards his house.

"I have no idea, and why should I care?" Roman asked. "I will know soon enough either way."

"And what exactly were you doing when her name and face was announced that was oh so important that you couldn't watch the reaping of your own seeds?"

"Writing letters, getting ready for today. Mom's reaction when she learned what I had done was reason enough to convince me that getting people to support the idea would be the wise thing to do. And even with all the letters I wrote and talks I had today I am still not sure I can keep this situation from exploding in my face. I don't even know if the girl will be safe at home, the way mom and you have acted about it."

"I am sure you've been told enough times today that you did a very stupid thing." The elder Zwahan stated coldly only making Roman roll his eyes. "You think our people are angry? Then you haven't watched much of the TV reports in the human world. We had to keep all of the Seven in the sector today because we expected a riot in the school. Gloria is having a hard time keeping things calm after the announcement. And the Red Hawks are getting so much exposure over this incident they might as well thank you for aiding their cause."

"It only proves they are idiots." Roman replied. "All of you." He added turning to Castor and facing his uncle. "I know what you are thinking, this will be an epic failure! Well, I am going to make this work, one way or the other. If only to have the satisfaction of proving you and that Predator Fish Loving Wicked Witch of the West wrong." Roman swore.

Castor looked at the skies, which was actually ironic since the Atrians did not believe in a god up there. "I think you would have more luck getting Praetor Arista out of his self imposed exile. And the man has not been seen for eight years."

That made Roman stop and turn to Castor once again, this time with a expression of surprise. How could he have forgotten! Roman had been in touch with the four elders of the tribes, and all eight councilors, not to mention Vega and a bunch of merchant leaders, and yet he had forgotten the one person whose say could rally the Atrian community into obedience.

"Roman, don't even think about it. People have been trying to talk to him all day and he refused even our leaders. You know as well as anyone else that Praetor Atria von Arista has absolutely refused to be consulted in any matters not regarding his personal interests. You don't have a solitary chance of getting him to talk to you, besides you need to be at the gate to receive your guest."

"Maybe you just need to be more persuasive." Roman asked looking for a clock. "Besides, I have three hours before the reception. I'll be there in time." He said going the other way, towards the only palace in all the sector.

Who was Praetor Arista? Simply the man behind their escape from Atria, and ultimately the one responsible for their crash landing on Earth. The man was a Technocrat and a man wiser than the entire council of elders. He had foreseen the death of Atria and had been responsible for the development and construction of their escape vessel, which he commandeered into space as their planet was swallowed by a supernova. As they approached the Solar System, Arista had detected suitable life conditions in Earth, but the ship's controls failed to execute a landing. Arista went to the engine room and blew it in a sequence that allowed for the ship to crash land. Either killing or Sparring half of the planet escapees, depending on who you asked. And condemning the survivors to life in the Sector.

When he realized Earth was not the panacea he had hoped, he isolated himself. But everyone, even the few humans who knew him, were aware that Arista was an Atrian of immense knowledge and resourcefulness. If he wanted to, he could have given the Atrians the means to escape the Sector and destroy the human civilization long ago. He was over two thousand Atrian years old and had committed to memory more knowledge than they were able to salvage from the ship's computer banks, even things that were best left forgotten. For that, he was admired, respected and feared, by both Atrians and Humans.

* * *

"I need to see Praetor Arista!" Roman said arriving at the manor gates. Three guards had been placed in the gate, all of them very intimidating and gigantic Vwasak that could make Derek look like a nerd in terms of strength.

"You and half of the Atrian civilization." The guard at the right exclaimed. "We have express orders to not let anyone in."

"I am Roman, son of Nox! And I need to know his stance on the transfer of a human girl into our Sector."

"You should have asked that before you decided to get the girl transferred here. Does it change anything to know what he thinks on the situation? Personally, I don't think he would even care. You said it yourself, it was a girl and what difference does a girl make in the never-ending waltz of War, Peace, and Revolution? It's not like the girl is special..." The one at the left added.

"Maybe not, but she can change the way the humans see us. And I know not everyone is happy to have her here."

"That should be obvious." The third one "Specially for a Zwahan. Do you really want a Human knowing what your people can do with some Cyper and their blood? And that is the tip of the iceberg. The number of things that girl could eventually learn, most of her kind would raze this sector to get their hands on."

"Do you think we will ever be able to live among humans if we can't find a way to trust each other?" Roman replied. "At least we can control a single girl, make her forget if things get out of hand. It allows us to learn how the Humans will react when they are exposed to our own secrets and make provisions to avoid problems when the knowledge becomes public. I need to convince the Praetor that this idea is something worth protecting, that the girl is someone we should guard!"

Roman was shouting, not giving a damn if half of the Sector, SEU included, overheard him right now. Not that it mattered because most of the sector was probably in the west gate waiting for Six P.M. and SEU avoided this palace like the plague on account of even more reasonable Atrians getting violent when they were too close to the Praetor. It was his only hope that the lord himself would listen to him and come sort this out.

"Scream all you want, the Praetor is not here." The guard on the right laughed.

"What?" Asked Roman turning to the guard. "That is not possible, Arista never leaves his palace!"

"He leaves whenever is convenient to him, which happens more often than he lets people believe." The man in the right explained. "Though he did tell us to fool all the people that would come into thinking he was not interested, and to stall you a while just for good measure."

"And where the hell is he?" The Zwahan asked.

"At the Western gate, among the people. Waiting for you to go and find him." The one in the middle replied. "By the way, the city clocks are misaligned. You have thirty minutes to get to the Western Gate."

Roman cursed, turning towards the gate and bolting, leaving the three laughing guards. He had to burn his soles to make it in time. The western gate was the one most distant from the palace. It had been picked out of all the nine gates because it was the one the Atrians had first used when the Sector was created and they had been dumped into it. Arista made a point to build his home away from all gates, but especially the Western. If he had managed to make it unnoticed then he was probably well disguised and had a lot of time on his hands.

* * *

Roman broke past the crowds as he reached the safety zone of the western gate avenue. The SEU was enforcing strict controls on the distance the Atrians could keep from the large gate. Only the Councilors, the Elders, and the Major Families of each tribe were allowed past a certain point, and even then the right to come within ten meters of the gate was one reserved for Roman alone and that strictly for the purpose of taking the girl inside the city.

Sure enough, on the other side of the gate, standing with Gloria and before hundreds of guards with deadly weapons was who Roman assumed was the girl. She was dressed in the same robes used for the Atrian Purge into the sector, a long piece of khaki fabric that made a cloak with a large hood, sheltering her face and, in their case, their marks from the public. It was something most of them had quickly repurposed into jackets, especially as they grew up. Right now it only served to hide her identity, which wondered Roman, as he suspected everyone by now knew who she was.

Himself excluded.

Right now he was not concerned with the girl. His eyes searched the crowd. "WHERE ARE YOU!" Roman thundered. Making the people around gasp in surprise at his sudden violence. The SEU quickly reached for their weapons but a quick glance from their superior held them from doing anything. Not now, not today, for the sake of the girl on the other side of the gate.

"Roman, what the hell are you doing?" Sophia shouted at him.

"ATRIA VON ARISTA, Reveal yourself!" Roman demanded. And the impact these words had was felt all across the crowd as people finally realized what had Roman so agitated. On the other side Gloria was whispering to the girl while the rest of the SEU was forced into standing down. The last thing anyone would want was Arista furious, which would happen if someone, Atrian or otherwise, got hurt or shot.

"Roman, this is ridiculous!" Castor shouted. "Praetor Arista does not leave his Mansion. He has not done so in eight years! And certainly will not do so because of this small incident between clans."

"Unless, of course, it is to exercise my satisfaction in proving people wrong." A strong voice spoke from within a red colored Cape not unlike the one worn by the girl on the other side of the gate. Roman and the other VIP's were instantly focused on the man, while the ones nearby him were quick to make space. Castor and Vega were both shocked.

"What a lovely day..." The man said walking towards the spot where Roman stood. "Some of the best weather I've seen in my days on Earth. Of course, I am partial to the magnificence of the Atrian weather... a pity we will never get to see it again." The man said lowering his hood. Despite his advanced age, both in terms of Human and Atrian years, Arista was one of the best conserved members of the species. No doubt thanks to his access to their plants as well as his own mysterious techniques to extend life. His skin was a dark olive, with very thin marks that always glowed green. His eyes were a glowing shade of orange and his long hair, which once had been yellow, was now entirely silver.

"Why did you come here?" Vega asked seriously.

"Word on the street is that we are getting a new guest." Arista smirked. "What kind of host would I be if I did not come and greet her? Now come on Roman, our lady waits." He said in a gentle tone walking towards the gate. Roman quickly placed himself besides the Praetor and waited as the Humans lowered the giant gate, because using the small one wouldn't really be nearly as symbolic.

"You did not come here just because of the girl." Roman said as they waited for clearance.

"Of course not." The man replied. "Or rather, not only because of the girl."

"And what are your intentions with her?" Roman asked.

The elder man gave a laugh. "All in due time young one. Do you even know who she is?"

"Should I?" Roman asked.

"Information can be a very powerful weapon. Lack of it can be very dangerous. It makes us take actions we learn to regret, as I did when I crashed our vessel on this planet, choosing land instead of water as our landing place."

* * *

Gloria walked towards the two males with Emery following her. "I've been meaning to have a word with you for a long time, Praetor. And you have been very reluctant to agree to meeting me." She added.

"You must be Gloria." The elder grinned. "Pleased to meet you, but I am not here to do business." He said going over to the girl. He reached into the inside of his coat and plucked a very fine flower of Cyper. "Allow me to be the first to welcome you into our mist, and to offer you the flower of the Zwahan tribe as a token of our meeting."

The girl glanced at the perfect flower, and even Roman had to admit the ones he and his father grew paled in comparison to the one Arista was holding. He was pretty sure the human newspapers would have a field day giving the wrong connotation to the gesture, the problem was that the correct one was not any better. Tribe flowers were only given to strangers when the one giving the flower had an uncommon level of respect for the recipient, the kind of respect Arista had given no one in living memory.

On the positive side, this gesture effectively prevented anyone from touching a hair on the girl without invoking the wrath of the Praetor on them. At the same time it confirmed what the council already suspected, this girl was more important than one would at first assume. Which only made Roman wonder who she was.

"Are you ready?" Roman asked her. There was no need to explaining what she should be ready for. The fact that they were stepping on the very line that held the gate in place made it more than obvious what Roman wanted. Rather than answer him, she took a step past the line and walked all the way towards Sophia.

Gloria turned to Roman and Arista "I am placing you two directly accountable for her safety." She warned. Roman knew it was an empty threat against the Elder, but a very serious threat against his own safety should he screw things up.

"I feel sorry for anyone foolish enough to wish her in danger." Arista grinned.

"Why do you say that?" Gloria asked.

"Because I know a Gharghalin when I see one." The man replied. "They are a very beautiful and rare species in our planet. But our people learned the hard way to respect them. Even with Atria Dying I am sure they found a way to survive."

Roman was young when he left his home, so he had never seen a Gharghalin, but he had heard stories. Nox considered them more intelligent than the Atrians, resourceful and quick to adapt. They could coexist with his people but one would be very wrong in thinking of them as tamed animals subdued to their will.

"Perhaps you can tell me about this fascinating creature over a cup of tea in the future?" Gloria wondered.

"Perhaps... In the future." The Praetor agreed with a concerned expression. "I believe we should allow the gate to close."

Roman and Arista went one way, while Gloria returned to her position on the other side, but despite their distance the gates did not close, at least not in the way Roman had remembered in the past. Back then the humans were eager to shut them in. Today something was keeping them, Roman had no idea if it was just distraction or an arrangement with the Journalists broadcasting the event.

Eventually, someone realized the gate was open longer than necessary, and the order to close it registered. It was not until the last of the several security latches had engaged itself that Arista and Roman turned their attention back to Emery, who was still concealed by the cloak.

"Well, welcome to the Sector. Where water is second grade and energy is only a given for security systems." Roman said in a sarcastic way. "I know this will sound a bit ridiculous but I never really got your name... or your face for that matter."

"I am not surprised." She replied, and Roman finally understood why she hadn't said a word until the gate was locked.

"EMERY?" He shouted, once again agitating the croud. Before she could answer he pushed the hood down, revealing the human girl he had met all those years ago in the sector, the one who had saved his life the night his father had died, and the one he now had condemned to living in his house. Hundreds of thoughts went through his mind as his surprise changed into anger. "How is this even possible?" He asked.

"Well, I knew from Julia you never bothered to check who you were placing in the Sector. I also had a fair suspicion that you would react badly if you knew it was me before time, possibly endangering your own plan and my father's safety. Which is why I asked Gloria that, barring you deciding to actually look at a television, we would do anything in our power to prevent you from knowing it was me ahead of time."

"But why? I would have done something else if I knew..."

"Because I know what is at stake here." Emery replied. "Any scenario where I don't get stuck here ends with my father dead, or with the Trags going after him because you didn't have the balls to punish him properly." She said without any attempt to lower his voice from the nearby people, Vega included. "Julia knew it as well, which was why she didn't try to stop you when she realized you were aiming at me."

"And that was a very wise decision." Arista amended before Roman could try to counter that argument. "After all, your own reasons for getting her here in the first place are something worth exploring. And I would have been very disappointed had you chickened out at the last moment. For that reason I made sure she would be given the right suit to keep you from knowing it was Emery before the right time."

"What I don't understand is how you knew Roman and Emery knew each other." Sophia told Arista.

"My palace gives me a privileged view of Nox's gardens." Arista answered "I was not aware she was not an Atrian then, but when her face came up in the Television it had me a bit curious. I asked a few favors here and there and by the time Roman began to approach the Councilors I already knew enough to put forward my own plan. The Sector Enforcement Unit was more than happy to cooperate with me in exchange for miss Whitehill's safety."

"And are you going to do with her?" Castor demanded to know.

Arista glanced at the man and then at his fingernails. "My plans are something for me to know Castor. Even if I were to discuss them with one of the leaders of our tribe you would be the last person I would go to. Nox and Roman are not the only ones who know a thing or two about you. What I can tell you is that I have anticipated the opportunity to work with a friendly human who does not have an agenda. And Roman has graciously given me this chance. I will expect visits from Mrs. Whitehill, and only from Mr. Whitehill, Roman can come too if he must, but no one else."

This was clearly not the kind of answer the leader of the Zwahan wanted to hear, but there was little Castor could say to go against a decision of the Praetor. Castor knew to pick his battles, and this was one he did not wish to fight.

A tense silence filled the road, it was getting dark, but the shops were not opening, in fact many of the lights in the sector were off. Roman sighted, there was nothing he could do to reverse what he had done. Like it or not Emery was his charge now, even if Arista was willing to step forward to ensure her protection. He glanced past the gate, Cameras had gotten as close as permissible to catch the interaction in the streets. Deciding they had excitement enough his gaze met the elder of his clan, who got the message.

"Ladies, Gentleman, Children of Atria." He announced in a loud voice. "I know most of us are eager to meet the young Human girl who became our neighbour, but many of you will remember that even our own kind had been exhausted after falling victim to such drastic changes over such a short time. The young lady is strong and puts on a brave face, but I believe she needs her rest and time to adjust to her new situation. The time for greeting our new guest will come eventually, but today I ask you all to return to your own affairs, and perhaps think on the events of this day and what they might mean in the future."

It was a prepared speech. Not particularly original either, but Roman had proposed it to the elder while they talked. It would not only give Emery the space she needed to reach the bedroom before the full impact of what was happening hit her. But also it conveyed a message to the Trags, to his people, and to the hundreds of humans who would most likely have their eyes on the sector right now.

Plant a seed in their minds that would hopefully develop into a line of thought that would promote the Integration Humans and Atrians. His eyes met the Praetor, who gave him a knowing smirk. He turned to Emery and spoke "Tomorrow, anytime you like, my house, It's very hard to miss."

She nodded "It's the only house right? I've seen it from the gardens."

Arista nodded, he gave Roman a tap on the shoulder before leaving. By then Roman himself was exhausted.

"Lets go, I don't know how tired you are but I sure could use a nap." The boy stated.

Emery nodded. "Actually I could use a nap too. I feel a bit dizzy."

"It's the aftershock." Sophia whispered. "We all felt it after a while. Hold my hand."

Emery nodded, extending her right hand to Sophia. Roman took a glimpse of the bracelet on her wrist. It was different from the one he had on himself, but the boy knew it would serve the same purposes. Most likely Gloria had it adapted to make sure the preventive measures applied on their own devices would not accidentally kill Emery.

With some effort they reached their house. And Roman had Sophia place Emery into his own bed. There were already preparations for them to get a second bed delivered to Sophia's room, but today Roman would have to resign himself to a night on the couch. By the time Maia and Castor returned to the house, the three of them were fast asleep.


End file.
